Category Archives: Sports

This year’s sports season had its ups and downs. With the Woman’s Basketball team making it to the semi-finals, Men’s Basketball team stuck in a rut the entire season. While the softball team rises though the standings and the baseball team has proven to be consistent, showing all teams are resilient in improving the line.
With the softball team ranked third in the eastern conference standings with ten wins and two loses behind Oakland and Macomb. The soft ball team and maybe the baseball team have a shot at going to the finals and taking home the trophy but the competition is menacing. I have no doubt they will put everything they have in until the end.
With every team there are setbacks and advances. This does not define a team by its victories nor loses but by the way they work together. Each team has their own charisma, work ethic and style of execution.
As my first and final semester as Sports Editor, I have enjoyed following their rankings and watching the teams play.

Christmas came early for hockey fans in the Blue Water Area. The Federal Hockey League announced it will establish a professional team at McMorran Arena.
A press conference was held April 2 by Assistant General Manager of McMorran Arena Rob Churchill, along with owner of an unnamed franchise Barry Soskin and FHL Commissioner Don Kirnan.
The Federal Hockey League now in its 6th year of existence will expand to 7 teams with the addition of Port Huron. The lease agreement with the building is good for the next five years.
This will be the 4th team in 13 years that Port Huron has hosted, with the most recent being the Port Huron Fighting Falcons (now the Keystone Ice Miners in Pennsylvania) the Port Huron Icehawks, Beacons, and, of course, the Bordercats.
“The leagues that Port Huron has been in in the past, didn’t suit them or the facility,” Soskin said. “I was in the East Coast Hockey League in Toledo with a 5300 seat building, really hard to make ends meet when your budget is only a million and a half to two million dollars. Now I don’t know about Port Huron’s exactly but I know enough about the league to know if their budgets work, those numbers don’t fit.”
The Federal Hockey League wants to meet their expected target profits but it also wants to provide quality family entertainment at affordable prices.
Soskin would also state, “If the owner is making all the money and the fans aren’t getting a product, that doesn’t work. If the fans are getting everything and the owner keeps going into his pocket, that doesn’t work. So it has to be a win-win for everybody and by doing that the building will be successful too. I believe that the FHL has a model that works it’s a proven winner the product is great. This is family affordable entertainment, and it’s better than going to see a movie.”
This is the first time in 6 years Port Huron will have professional hockey vs. having a junior league team.
“I think we were leaning towards pro all along, and I’ve been working on this since the month the Fighting Falcons left,” Churchill said. “The crowd had pretty much told us (the Mcmorran Staff) that’s what they were interested in.”

Sc4 Lady Skippers knock out in the final round
Tyler Smith
Sports Editor

St. Clair County Community College Women’s Basketball team dominates land, sea, and air but fails to secure the final victory. In the race to claim the District H Tournament Championship the Lady Skippers destroyed two of the opposing teams but one.
On March 3 the sailing Skippers faced off against the flying Henry Ford Hawks once again for the Quarter-finals. With repeating a speedy and overwhelming offensive taking the Hawks out of the sky once again scoring 92 to 46.
“I watch the SC4 Skippers more than the Pistons because I know they won’t let me down” said John Dove, 50, from Yale.
Taking down their opponent in the sky, the ladies moved to the next bracket versing the Oakland County Community Raiders at Delta College for the semi-finals on March 5.
“The girls were excellent Thursday, they had the speed and the drive in running the Raiders in to the ground” said Mark Langley, 23, from Port Huron. Running them in the ground, the Ladies did in a sweeping win 81 to 56, a twenty-one point difference from their quarter-final game.
Now, with the golden ticket in hand, the Lady Skippers went on their way to the finals versing the Livonia College Schoolcraft Ocelots in a battle to see who will go on to the national tournament. Unfortunately, the Skippers offensive push stalled here.
“The girls played a close game but they weren’t the hard hitting players they usually were,” said Jane Wiknade, 19, from Kimball. Losing to the Ocelots by ten points, 58-68, the Skippers lost their ticket to nationals but they fought and pursed their goal to win.
This team is phenomenal on the court with strong defensive having overall rebounds percentages around 5 to 7 percent such as Briann Alspaugh with a 7.5% average (195), Breomi Jackson with a 6.3% average (183), and Jasmine Parker with a 5% average (136). The Skippers also have a hard hitting offensive players putting points on the board, like Leah Humes with an overall 163 points score and 362 attempts, followed by Madison Valko with 129 scored and 300 attempts.
“Yes they didn’t go all the way this year, but they have a dominate year and I love it that there is something we can expect and root on every single year from SC4, which is the Women’s basketball team,” stated James Woolman, 26 from Port Huron.

There two different sides to “Should college athletes be paid” should they or should they not? I’m here to speak for both sides.
There are many reasons they should be paid, most college athletes spend all or most of their time practicing for games. The Richest states that “College football players spend up to 44 hours a week perfecting their craft. The average American only works 40 hours a week.”
So if they spend more time on sports than people do working, they deserve to be paid. Plus that barely leaves the athlete’s time for homework and studying for big tests and exams. Sports like basketball and football bring in millions of dollars making the school money so it is only fair that they get a small portion of the money. In sports like basketball and football, it takes up so much of your valuable time that you don’t have time for a job to buy essentials like food.
On the other hand, not all college sports rakes in the big bucks such as baseball or golf, there isn’t enough money generated to pay the players money. Also, college athletes already do get a lot. They have fame because they are the stars on the field. They also have lots of friends because people want to be friends with stars. Some athletes even get a full ride scholarship which is a lot of money. But that still doesn’t pay for food.
In sports like basketball and football, also, there would be arguments on how much they should be paid. Some parents of the student otherwise known as the athletes may think that the amount of payments is unfair so they would complain. So in their opinion it would be better for no one to get paid because it would be easy and fair. Then again, it is just school and it is all just a game; a big expensive game that makes millions for the school.
So, in conclusion, there are two different sides to “should college athletes be paid” and both sides have very valid reasoning. So the choice is yours, should college athletes be paid?

The question of should college athletes be paid has come up once more and in my opinion it is a for sure yes.
College athletes should be paid because of the time and effort they put in. Most of the athlete’s time is spent on their sport, so they don’t have enough time to get a job to earn money. If they don’t go pro, then they won’t have enough money to afford a house or to stay in school, so they should be getting paid to play.
With the many reasons that college athletes should be paid, there are some reasons that they should not. Many times the athletes have scholarships, so they stay and eat at the college for free which, in some cases would be a reason for them not to get paid to play. Although they stay, eat, and learn for free, the athletes should still be paid because if they don’t make it to the pros, they would be poor, homeless, and most likely jobless.
Some of these athletes don’t even get scholarships, so they must pay for everything they do. This adds to the reason that these college athletes should be paid.
Just staying, eating, and learning at a college might not be enough for some athletes. New York Times Writer Veronica Majerol says, “Big time college football and basketball programs generate billions of dollars a year in TV and marketing contracts, ticket sales, and merchandising. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) gets a cut; universities get a cut; coaches get a cut. The only ones not cashing in, it seems, are the players themselves. Under NCAA rules, they’ve been considered “amateurs” who aren’t allowed to profit from their sports.”
This to me raises another question; why can’t amateurs be paid?
With these colleges making all of this money, I believe that the athletes should get some of it because if it weren’t for them, the college would not be making that much money.
In conclusion, I believe that college athletes should be paid because of the time and effort they put in to their sport. They are also bringing in a majority of the schools’ money so don’t you think these athletes should be paid too?

In the midst of a chilled winter, die-hard baseball fans are glued to televisions and radios waiting patiently for baseball season. Sadly, baseball is still a good month away, with most teams opening on April fifth or sixth.
Detroit Tigers fans, such as myself, have much to look forward to. From pace of play rules to players attempting a bounce back season, it is sure to be a great year for baseball.
Here are some projections based on information from baseball-reference.com, espn.go.com, bleacherreport.com.

Managerial and Coaching Staff
As Brad Ausmus enters his sophomore season as manager, he enters with almost the exact same coaching staff. Omar Vizquel and Dave Clark guided Tiger base runners last season with judgment that was above average for a first year coach. Look for them to continue this in the next season. Hitting Coach Wally Joyner led the Tigers to a .277 batting average and 731 RBI’s, both were the highest in baseball for the 2014 season, but with new players and assistant hitting coach David Newhan. However, the pitching staff is in for a biggest change. By trading for all-star Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene, pitching Coach Jeff Jones has more tools in his pitching tool belt.

Infield
As a new season begins, the Tigers shape up with a very similar infield.
Miguel Cabrera, former MVP and Triple Crown winner, sets up at first base after having foot surgery this summer. He will need to step up if designated hitter Victor Martinez misses significant time with his knee injury.
Martinez, last season’s number four hitter and designated hitter for the Kittens, placed second in American League MVP voting. Tigers’ fans hope that both MVP bats return to their caliber pop and contact.
The largest change is the return of shortstop Jose Iglesias, who missed much of last season with stress fractures in each lower leg. He is known for his flashy defense, and will likely suit up at the bottom of the order.
Alongside Iglesias on the left side of the infield is third baseman Nick Castellanos. The former Futures Game MVP showed some pop in his bat, but his glove is less than stellar.
Rounding up the infield is 2014 all-star Ian Kinsler. The second baseman was voted the best defensive player at his position in 2014, and he will almost definitely hit leadoff for the 2015 Detroit Tigers. Bench players include 2B/SS Austin Romine and 2B/3B Hernan Perez.

Outfield
A new season begins with a renovated outfield for the Tigers. Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is considered by many to be the best player in this off season’s load. He was acquired this winter in a blockbuster from the Red Sox to presumably play left field. Cespedes showcased his throwing arm last year with 225 putouts and 16 assists.
The fans will also get a chance to see newcomer Anthony Gose. The youngster was property of the Blue Jays last season, but an early offseason acquisition brought him to the Motor City. He has struggled, but hopefully a platoon between him and veteran speedster Rajai Davis will help take the load off in centerfield.
The final starting spot goes to right fielder JD Martinez. This Martinez had a breakout year last year after signing with Detroit in Spring Training. It will be interesting to see whether the switch from left field to right field weakens his average defense, and whether the 2014 season was just a one-time career year. Other outfielders for this season include last season’s September call-ups Steven Moya and Tyler Collins.

Starting Rotation
This will be an interesting season for the Tiger’s starting rotation. They had a 4.01 ERA in 2014, 0.27 higher than the league average. The offseason saw Max Scherzer leave to Washington, and the arrivals of Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene.
With David Price, Justin Verlander, and Anibal Sanchez occupying the first three rotation slots, the last two are up for grabs. The first competitor is Shane Greene.
Greene showed promise in his rookie season with the Yankees. He will most likely grab the fourth or fifth slot. Another option is lefty Kyle Lobstein. Lobstein was mainly a fill-in starter for injured pitchers last season for the Tigers, and showed his ability to confuse hitters.
However, Lobstein will probably be a bullpen pitcher as the Tigers bring in former Red Alfredo Simon, or “Big Pasta,” as he is known was an all-star last season. But many are concerned that he went 3-7 post all-star break. Hopefully he can put the bad ending to his all-star season to rest, and show fans what he is really made of.
The final starting pitcher trying for the last rotation spot is lefty Kyle Lobstein. The 25-year-old pitched 39.1 innings last year for the Tigers, and showed fans how good this rotation might be in the future. Whatever the rotation, it will surely challenge hitters this coming season.

Bullpen
The Tigers bullpen did not impress last season. With the inconsistency of Joe Nathan and Bruce Rondon missing the entire season due to Tommy John’s surgery, it was difficult to keep a win until the ninth inning.
Bruce Rondon should be a key for this bullpen. The Venezuelan was known to throw in triple digits pre-surgery. Joakim Soria will take up the eighth inning set-up role. Soria split last season with Texas and Detroit, but failed to live up to expectations with a 4.91 ERA with the Tigers. One of the lonely lefties in the Detroit’s right hand heavy bullpen is Ian Krol. He will mainly be used as a specialist for challenging left-handed hitters. The bullpen rounds out with Al Alburquerque and Luke Putkonen.

Will 2015 be the year you will dominate your baseball fantasy league? I’ve analyzed many baseball players in my life and I’ve played for as long as I can remember, so if you listen to me, I will carry you to the top and provide you with bragging rights to kick off the next season.
In this article, I will provide tips on what you should look for in each position in order to get the best players. First, before I head into tips for each position, I must tell you, defense doesn’t win championships, hitters do.
“Defense doesn’t matter… Explicitly”- Mike Harmon.
In fantasy baseball, defense doesn’t produce points. In terms of infielders, there are Power Hitters and Leadoff Types who will affect your points and standings in your league.
The Power Hitters are Third Base, First Base, and Catcher. When drafting a player from this position, you need someone who can produce Extra-Base Hits (A hit longer than a single), OPS (On-base percentage plus Slugging percentage), and they need to be able to hit with runners in scoring position (second base and third base). Why? This position has a shortage of speed and it offers the best power. These stats are the perfect representation of power because Extra-Base hits show how hard a player can drive a ball, OPS is how many times the batter changes a game, and hitting with runners in scoring position, tallies more runs, and gives more chances to get RBI’s (Runs batted in). If all of these positions can provide this level of offense consistently, you will win consistently.
I suggest drafting Yan Gomes, 27, from the Cleveland Indians. Why? The catcher Yan Gomes drives the ball, has posted a .800 OPS the past two seasons (That’s great), and has almost hit three hundred with runners in scoring position. “A quiet confidence, a guy who’s got strength in his game, whether that’s arm strength, strength in the bat,” Farrell said. Yan Gomes is the power hitter you’re looking for that can also serve as a later-round pick that could help accumulate much-needed points throughout the season.
The positions where you need leadoff types are at second base and shortstop. Do not look for power, where power is lacking. These leadoff types need to score runs. Runs are extremely essential to win ball games. Can you win a game scoring zero runs? A player will score more runs than the amount of bases he stole and both have similar point values. Also, don’t generate outs on the base paths. A high stolen base percentage is needed. The perfect leadoff player is someone who will score at will and steal bases with ease, providing the most points possible.
Danny Santana, 24, from the Minnesota Twins is a player that should be on your draft list. Why? John Sickles said, “He’s 23, a good athlete, a switch hitter, and versatile” Santana tallied 70 runs in only 400 at bats, he stole 20 bags, and hit .319. At this young age, Santana will only get better, and when hitting .300 in your rookie season and already adjusting to MLB pitchers, you know he is ready to contribute to your fantasy baseball team.
Left field, center field, and right field are different than the infielders. You cannot assign all of these to one category. Each position in the outfield serves a different purpose. Right field consists of upper-body players with light-tower power. Grab power when it’s available. When drafting a player in this position, you should get another power hitter to generate runs. One swing can change an entire game. Center fielders are classified as leadoff types. The center fielder should hit at the top of the order and get on base. This creates opportunities for the stolen base and the chance that he could get driven in on a single. Left field is unique because it’s a mix of both. He needs to produce runs and score runs. If your outfield is shaped like this, you will be able to score points whenever possible.
I suggest drafting Marcell Ozuna, 24, from the Miami Marlins. Marcell Ozuna last season put up outstanding numbers in almost every category. “Namely, he’s walking more, striking out less, and hitting for power,” said Jack Weiland. He knocked 80+ RBIs creating opportunities for runs and he scored himself seventy runs. His Extra-Base hit total was fifty and he has a stolen base success rate of 75%. Marcell Ozuna can be the reliable left-fielder your team needs.
When drafting the man on the mound, keep this in mind. Pitchers do not garner nearly as many points as hitters. Why? A hitter’s at-bat totals usually exceed a pitcher’s amount of innings by three times the size. Get pitchers late. You’ll win by far if you have a decent pitching staff and a loaded lineup. This doesn’t mean that you should randomly select pitchers for last. There are many areas where a pitcher can accumulate points. When looking at strikeouts, find a flame baller, and when looking at wins, find a workhorse. There are many ways to win a ballgame with a certain type of pitcher, but the key is to have a balanced staff so you’ll win in every area. When drafting a pitcher, choose late, and create a pitching rotation that can win ballgames in any way.
I suggest drafting Alex Cobb from the Tampa Bay Rays. Alex Cobb, 27, is an unnoticed pitcher who can impact a game in every area. He’ll keep his E.R.A. (Earned Run Average) low, he can eat a few innings, and he isn’t even at his peak. According to Ben Reiter, “Cobb, is young, talented and cheap.” So by drafting Alex Cobb, you bought yourself a medium-risk high reward pitcher, who will gather points in bunches.
By following this strategy, I guarantee you will win every single time.

The Spartans are looking like they are ready to play tournament basketball. On Feb. 17, 2015, they came into Ann Arbor, a hostile environment, and beat the Wolverines in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2010.
Brendan Dawson led the determined Spartans with a double-double, scoring 23 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and shooting an amazing 83% from the floor. Dawson, 22 years old and from Gary, Indiana stated, “It was a great win for us, for this program,”
Dawson, who is on the Michigan State Spartans basketball team, 22 years old, from Gary, Indiana is shown above. Dawson is leading his Michigan State Spartans to a mediocre season, but they are playing like they are ready to make some noise in the tournament.
His guard coming off the bench Travis Trice also had a grand day as well. Here is his stat sheet: 22 points, 7 assists, 6-12 on field goals, and 4-4 from the line, that right there is a good stat sheet. Those two never won at the Crisler Center.
The 60 year old and future hall of fame head coach from Iron Mountain, Michigan Tom Izzo said, “I think for those two guys, winning here is a big deal.” Shooting just over 78% from inside the arc, the Spartans dominated the whole game as they never let Michigan take the lead. This game stated that they could make a run in the tournament.
Denzel Valentine had a rough game, only scoring six points. If he can get it going offensively, this team possibly controls their destiny. Right now a 7 seed according to Joe Lunardi, Michigan State will try to make a statement in the Big 10 tournament. If that happens, Michigan State would probably end up as 6 seed. As for Michigan, their season has been brutal. It didn’t help that their stars Caris Levert and Derrick Walton Jr. were out for this game.
Unless Michigan wins out and wins the Big 10 tournament, it looks like Michigan won’t even participate in the NIT (Not In Tournament).

With the stands semi-packed on a cold Saturday afternoon, the St. Clair County Community College women’s basketball team played an exceptional game on February 21.

The Skippers scored the first points against the Hawks with a minute in to the first half. With a couple of coast to coast and turnovers, the Skippers put the Hawks on the defensive and the ball in their hands.

The Skippers started to pull away in a scoring frenzy finishing the first half with 40 points to 31.

After intermission the Skippers started the second half at a slow pace but retaliated with comebacks. Five minutes in they hit the ground running, literally, with an eleven point lead five minutes in the half the Hawks try to stop the Skipper’s advance and jump start one of their own but it was short lived.

The Skipper’s defense broke the offensive back bone with rejections and turnovers. The skippers declared full steam ahead, winning the game with a final score of 83 to 70, adding to their standings with 20 wins and 5 losses.

They know each other’s strengths and capitalize on them. Number 30 Breomi Jackson, out of Detroit, is an excellent rebounder and defender. Working with teammate like number 24 Brianna Mayes, from Flint, who is fast as well play defensive and offensive is the right mixture for a powerhouse. With a combination of rushing offensives and stout defense, the Skippers dominated the court making the Saturday Night Lives’ Chicago native Bob Swerski’s super fans hail them like da Bears.

There is nothing better than having your friends over, snacking on pizza rolls with a flat screen and the Detroit Red Wings giving a good kicking.
This season the Wings have returned to their olds ways with new players. With a kicking butt and taking names attitude, the Red Wings have more than a shot at the Stanley cup. On the ice, the wings are a formidable defensive and offensive force. When they have the puck you’ll need a miracle to get it back from the Red Wings and pray, to whichever god you pray to, that you’re far away from the defense.
These players will fight tooth and blade before admitting defeat, which is the reason why they are in a three-way tie for first with Tampa Bay Lightning and Montréal Canadians in the Atlantic division of the Eastern Conference. They have the chance to own another division title besides Western Conferences Central title, won in the 2010-2011 season.
Port Huron native James Woolman, 26, believes the Wings have challenges ahead of them with Tampa Bay getting some fresh talented players on the team and Montréal having a solid team on the ice.
According to redwings.nhl.com some players to watch for are Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Gustav Nyquist, and Tomas Tatar. These four gentlemen have left their hearts and souls on the ice after each game this season with an average shooting percentage of 14.5, and average of 41 points scored between the four of them though out the season.
The Wings have a strong offensive and defensive line. For the goalies it is a different story with Jimmy Howard currently out due to injuries of the groin and Jonas Gustavsson recently returning after a shoulder injury.
Petr Mrazek took the net and proved himself to be an exceptional goalie with over a thousand minutes of game time, 531 “shot at” and save percentage of .914. He is ranked second in the team stats just under Jimmy Howard, who has over eighteen-hundred minutes of game time, 831 “shot at”, and a save percentage of .920.
At this current rate, the Wings have a shot at getting to the playoffs and hopefully bring the Stanley Cup home again.

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Editor’s Note

All views expressed in editorials and columns within the Erie Square Gazette are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ESG or any of its advertisers. We welcome feedback!